The structure of a traditional table tennis racket is relatively simple. It comprises a paddle generally made of wood having the same outline as the racket, including its handle. Handle sections are applied by means of adhesive to each of the faces of the paddle so as to impart volume to the handle portion and reinforce the seating of the handle relative to the paddle, and a covering is stuck onto each of the two faces of the playing portion, generally a single- or multi-layer elastomer coating.
The quality of the racket depends mainly on the quality of each of the elements making it up and on the quality of the assembly. Present manufacture of such rackets still includes numerous manual operations that are a factor contributing to high cost price, which makes it necessary to look for the least expensive work force possible, off-shore.
That is why attempts have been made to automate the manufacture of this instrument to as great as extent as possible and quite naturally investigation has been directed towards plastics technology in an attempt to manufacture by injection-molding.
An illustration of such techniques is to be found in patent document ES 2 024 413 which discloses a racket having a core made of molded plastics material, reinforced where necessary with Kevlar (registered trademark) fibers extending from the end of the handle to the opposite end of the paddle. Injection-molding is then used to cover the core in a polyurethane foam for which a skin-effect is desired so that the racket presents a playing surface that is smooth or to which an additional surface treatment has been applied in order to obtain a playing surface that is smooth.
In reality, such rackets have not enjoyed any commercial success since either they are too flexible making them practically “unplayable”, or else they are too heavy and are quickly discarded by players. In order to obtain sufficient stiffness, it is necessary to use considerable thicknesses of material optionally reinforced by optionally oriented fibers. And, in order to obtain results that are acceptable in terms of ball-racket contact, covering the paddle in a polyurethane foam is not appropriate.
It has therefore been necessary to create a racket structure that differs from that of existing rackets, both concerning the core thereof and concerning the covering, in order to enable conventional plastics technology to produce results that are satisfactory, and that enjoy the intrinsic benefit of such technology, namely a manufacturing cost that is low.